


Will I Catch Up To Love?

by fandomtrash007



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mike Wheeler, Brotherly Steve Harrington, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Insecure Will Byers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mike Wheeler Hates Himsef, Sisterly Robin Buckley, Steve and Robin act like parents sometimes, mainly fluff tho, oblivious boys in love, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-14 14:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21017123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomtrash007/pseuds/fandomtrash007
Summary: The Byers and El are leaving in three months, and Mike and Will have some stuff to work out. Steve and Robin notice and give them both individual advice.





	1. Steve and Mike

Steve Harrington was working a late shift on a warm August night. Nothing exciting happened, just a few customers entering and him being warned by the jingle of the bells of the door. People looked around for a movie they wanted to rent and payed, leaving quickly. So for Steve, it was a regular night. 

As he failed to flirt with yet another girl that had entered to rent a cheesy romance movie, he sighed. He saw the girl open the door only to be knocked over by none other than Mike Wheeler. The teenage boy apologized and helped her up, letting her exit the store before barging in.

Steve saw the teenager head towards the sci-fi section but not to pick out a movie. Instead, he saw Mike slump down on the dirty floor and pull his legs up to his chest. The Wheeler put his head between his legs and inhaled deeply. 

Steve watched from the counter before telling himself to head over there. The boy looked awful, and he couldn’t just leave Mike there. He’d feel like a total dickhead. 

The older boy jumped over the counter and made his way towards the sci-fi movie section. As soon as he did, he kneeled down in front of Mike and gently shook him, earning a small gasp from him.

“You okay there, Wheeler?” Steve asked. Mike had not looked at him, and he wasn’t going to admit it, but he was so worried for him. 

Mike took in a shaky breath before answering. “Just peachy.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I don’t need your sarcasm at the moment.” He scooted over to be besides the boy, and slowly, he started rubbing circles on his back. “I hope you know that you can tell me anything.”

The comforting action was enough for Mike to let out a small sob. His body shook a little and Steve continued to comfort him, speaking in a soothing voice to relax him. Mike let out a whimper before silencing himself. 

“I’m so broken,” Mike finally said, his voice hoarse. “I’m disgusting, and I hate it. I hate myself for something that I can’t control.”

Harrington was shocked as Mike finished his declaration. He still kept up the rubbing motion on Mike’s back until finally, Wheeler looked up at him. Steve saw the pain clearly written on his face, his broken eyes looking straight at him. Steve swallowed a bit. 

“Care to explain?”

Mike bit his lip, contemplating whether or not to tell the older boy. When he decided that he could, he gave in. Still, Steve saw the hesitation on Mike’s face. 

“You remember that me and El broke up right?” Mike asked, starting from the beginning. When Steve nodded, Mike continued. “Yeah, well, I never really loved her to begin with. I just got with her just to be with someone. For protection, basically.”

“Are you serious?” Steve couldn’t help but ask. He had already guessed that Mike wasn’t feeling anything in his relationship with Eleven. It reminded him a lot of Nancy and him, but he wasn’t going to tell him that. This just confirmed it. 

Mike looked guilty but answered with, “Yeah... I, um, never had any real feelings for her. I liked her as a friend, but I saw an opportunity to maybe be normal for once and took it. I was being selfish.”

Mike exhaled for a moment before continuing the story. “But after she dumped me and I had my fight with Will, I—”

“Hold on a minute,” he interrupted. “You and Will fought? When?”

The younger boy looked down to avoid his stare. He hated thinking about that moment. “The day after El dumped me. Me and Lucas were being ignorant and didn’t listen to Will at all. This lead to our fight, and I accidentally snapped. I told him that it was his fault for not liking girls, and I just—”

He couldn’t finish that sentence as he broke down into tears again. He went ahead and hugged Steve who hugged back. Mike clenched his fists into a ball on the fabric of Steve’s vest, but he didn’t care. Steve sat there, comforting the boy who had been so obviously neglected. 

“I’m such a fucking idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!”

“No, you aren’t,” Steve said as Mike hugged him tighter. “You aren’t stupid at all. You were just angry and snapped at him. Everyone does that at some point.”

“I know.”

“Did you apologize?”

Mike nodded. “I did, but I still felt so awful afterwards. Will has always been so important to me, and I thought I had lost him.” Mike inhaled deeply, trying to regain his composure. “I don’t even know why he forgave me.”

The two of them had let go of the other by this point and sat right besides the other. “Maybe Will didn’t want to lose you.”

“I bet he would if he found out I was a fag.”

The words left Mike’s mouth so quick that he hadn’t realized he had said them until it was too late. He avoided looking at Steve, not wanting to see the older boy’s disgust. He hated himself so much for it, for a stupid thing that was frowned upon. 

“Oh...” was all Steve said. Mike looked over only to see him have an understanding look on his face. “Wheeler, you don’t have to beat yourself down for that.”

Mike looked perplexed. “You don’t hate me?”

“No. I could never hate you for being you.”

The boy swallowed and let out a dry chuckle. “I think that may be the nicest thing you’ve said to me, Harrington.”

Steve put a hand over his chest and dramatically replied, “You wound me, child.” Mike laughed a bit before Steve asked, “Is that why you were crying?”

Mike had an uncomfortable look on his face. “To put it simply, it makes me more of a loser than I already am. When I found out, I hated myself for it. And I still do. I tried to force myself to only like girls and not girls and boys. I can’t get anything right. I can’t even get being straight right.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “So you like both girls and boys? Is there a term for that?”

Mike looked around nervously. “Yeah. Bisexual.”

Steve nodded. “Got it.”

There was an awkward silence. Mike fiddled with the hems of his shirt as Steve tried to piece it all together. After a while, he might have solved the case. 

He looked back at all the times he had seen Mike. All the times he and Will had been together. To those “movie dates” and to casual hangouts they had. To all the times Mike had stared at Will, his gaze always flickering to his lips and to those touches that always seemed to last more than they should have. 

“Oh,” he repeated. “I get it.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Get what?”

Steve gave him a smile and ruffled his hair. Mike slapped his arm away. “You like Will.”

Mike’s eye’s widened and he blushed, that rosy color spreading from his cheeks to his ears. His mouth was slightly agape before he closed it. Steve watched as Mike tried to form an excuse, stuttering out mostly profanities. 

At some point, Mike seemed to not deny it and said, “I think I might love him.”

A smile formed on Steve’s lips as Mike said it. It took a lot of effort, but Wheeler did it. Steve was glad that Mike had decided to confide in him. He was always there to help.

“You know what the worst part about it is?” Mike asked, interrupting him from his train of thought. 

“What?”

“He’s leaving next month to Ohio. I probably won’t even get to tell him, so I’ll just live, hating myself even more for not telling him. I know that he might not feel the same towards me, but at least I won’t have to keep it a secret. If I do, I’ll feel even worse about it.”

Steve had forgotten the Byers and El were moving away. If Mike wanted to tell Will (which, Steve noticed, also liked him back because it was so painfully obvious) then it would have to be before the move. He was going to try and get them together even if it was the first and last thing he did for his ex-girlfriend’s brother. 

“I’ll help you, man.”

Mike looked a bit amused at that thought. “You will?”

Steve nodded and got up to his feet. He offered a hand to Mike which gratefully took it. He pushed the boy up and started to get out of the row. Mike did the same. 

“Yeah!” Steve told him. “I’ll help you get together with Will.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me and ends up hating me?”

“Oh, trust me, Wheeler,” Steve said as he jumped over the counter once again, signaling for Mike to do the same. “Byers likes you.”


	2. Robin and Will

Robin was not blind to the way Will seemed to think of himself as an outcast. He always avoided conversation with other people outside of The Party and would lag behind if the others were with their partners. It was hard being the friend in a group without someone, so Robin could understand him. Actually, she saw herself in Will a lot, and that scared her. 

She saw Karen Wheeler’s car park and saw her getting out and making her way towards Will, Mike, and herself. She had had the pleasure of watching The Party on an hot August afternoon. Everyone had left besides them. 

“Thank you for agreeing in such short notice, Robin. We couldn’t thank you enough,” Karen Wheeler said her. 

Robin shrugged it off as nothing. “I’m glad I could help, Mrs. Wheeler. It was my pleasure.”

“Again, thank you.” Karen looked at her son and signaled for him to follow her, telling him that they had to go shopping for Holly’s birthday party. 

“Alright, mom. Just let me say my goodbyes,” Mike told her. When Karen nodded and left to start the car, Mike gave Will a hug. 

Robin saw the way that the hug Mike was giving Will lasted longer than the others he had shared with The Party. She saw how he hugged with so much tenderness. She saw the disappointment on both boys’ faces when they pulled away and the sad expression Will had as he saw Mike being taken. 

As the Wheelers drove away, Robin’s gaze fell onto Will, who looked sad and hurt. She decided to talk to him about it. 

“Hey, twerp,” she called him. 

He looked at her and asked, “Yes?”

“Your mom wanted me to take you home since she has to work a long shift today, so let’s go.”

Will nodded, and they both headed towards her parents’ car which she had been using since they gave her permission to do so. They walked in silence until they got in, Will in the passengers seat unlike this morning. 

As Robin started to drive away from the beautiful park near Mirkwood, she gave Will a quick, worried glance. He was looking out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Robin was worried for him. 

She exhaled and said, “Alright, spill.”

Will’s attention was now on her as he moved his head slightly to the left. “What do you mean?”

“What’s going on with you today? You look... distracted. Is everything okay.”

Will had a panicked look on his face, and he looked away from her, hoping she hadn’t read him. “I have no idea what you mean,” he said rather quickly and clearly lying. 

Robin rolled her eyes. It was so obvious he was hiding something. “Look, kid. I know I haven’t gotten to know you, but you can tell me anything if you need to. I’ll be here or something like that. I don’t know.”

Will laughed quietly before it was silent again. Robin wanted him to talk to her, but she wasn’t going to force him. It was his decision whether he wanted to talk or not.

“It’s just that nothing ever goes right for me,” he said after a while. 

Robin looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”

Will swallowed a bit. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been coded. I’ve never been left alone at all. All the insults keep growing, and they never stop. And now... I can’t even do something’s without other people’s words being replayed in my mind.”

“Co— Coded?” she asked, having an idea of were this might be going. Will nodded but said nothing. “You know what, ignore that. Why did those words stick with you? That’s a better question.”

“Because...” Will faltered before trying again. “Because their true. I’ve been called Zombie Boy, and that’s true. I’ve been called a nerd and a geek, and that’s true. I’ve been called queer and gay and fairy and fag, and all that is true. And I just never been left alone. Never.”

Robin nodded, biting her lip in frustration. She wasn’t good with emotions, but she was here to help him. She couldn’t just say nothing to a child that probably had no one to talk to about this. That was when Robin realized that he really was too similar to her. 

(And Robin knew the pain of having such a big secret and not being able to tell anyone. It hurt, like a weight on your shoulder that never left and kept dragging you down. It reminded you that you would never be what others deemed normal. And it fucking sucked.) 

“Ignore them,” she said. “All those people are trying to get in your mind and manipulate you, so you learn to ignore them. They don’t know jack shit about you. Do not give them the satisfaction.”

Will was taken aback. “You don’t care that I’m gay?”

Robin let out a chuckle and gave him a small smile as she made a left. “Will, sweetie, I’m also gay. Boys are okay, but I just feel more connected to girls, and they are way more attractive in my opinion. Besides, homophobic people are jerks.”

Now it was Will’s turn to chuckle, yet Robin could hear his voice crack slightly when he did. She parked the car next to a Seven-Eleven and looked at him. The boy had tears forming in his eyes, and she couldn’t help but lean over and wipe them away when a few fell. 

“Is this about Mike?” she finally asked to confirm her suspicion. When Will froze, she knew it was right. 

“How did— how?” 

“Your expression says it all.”

She heard him mutter a “Fuck” before turning to look her in the eye and ask her quite frantically, “Do you think he’s noticed? Or the others?”

Robin seemed to contemplate this for a moment which made Will anxious. “No, I don’t think so.” She saw Will let out a relieved sigh. “But I think it’s because of the fact that both of you have been best friends for years, so this behavior has become normal to them. If they saw closer and put the pieces together, I think they would see something else.”

Will saw Robin fumble with the car keys, and he sat there, taking in this information.He supposed she was right, this was normal behavior for them. Still, he couldn’t help but feel as if Robin wasn’t telling him something. 

“I’ve never loved anyone like this ever before,“ Wil admitted as she turned the car off. “It’s always been Mike and I, the others came later on. And even when Lucas and Dustin joined our friend group, we never really stopped hanging out separately.”

Robin listened intently as he rambled on and on about his relationship with Mike. She had never seen him talk so fondly about any of the others, so she understood how special Mike was to him. 

“And we had our fight, but we’re alright now. Still hurts, but he apologized and made up with me, so it’s better. But sometimes... I look back at that fight and think, ‘maybe he was right; maybe it really is my fault for not liking girls’.”

Robin stuffed the keys in her pocket and looked at him, her eyes wide. “He said what?” she practically yelled at him. “Oh, that son of a bitch!”

“Please don’t say anything bad about him!”

She was interrupted from her yelling by the teenager besides her. She looked at him and asked, “Why are you defending him? He was such an asshole to you.” 

“He didn’t mean it,” Will said as soon as she asked him. “I know he didn’t mean it. He was just upset, and I was being too pushy and needy, and even though I said the truth about everything that was going on, I still managed to sound like a whiny seven year old. ”

Robin winced after hearing that explanation. It made her seem just plain rude, and she didn’t even know Mike’s side of the story. She couldn’t just assume. 

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. But that was still a dick move.”

“That it was.”

“How do you know he didn’t mean it?” Robin asked him after a minute of silence. 

Will licked his lips. “Mike isn’t one to apologize. Most of the time, when he does, it’s forced. But this time it’s wasn’t. He genuinely felt bad about it.”

“How do you know? Did he tell you?”

“After years of hanging out with him, you can read him like an open book. He’s also really expressive.”

Robin looked at him a bit weird. Mike Wheeler was not expressive at all when it came to stuff like emotions. She hadn’t seen him get mushy when he was away from Will. She smirked a bit and told him, “Wheeler is not expressive. Like, at all.”

“Yes, he is,” was all Will kept saying as she shook her head no, slightly amused. 

Finally, Robin couldn’t help but laugh. Will was a smart kid, so he should have figured it out sooner. Why were the smarts one the most oblivious ones?

“Will, look at me,” Robin said to him, and he shut up. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think Mike treats you differently from the rest of your group? Why do you think he is always checking in on you even when there’s no immediate danger? Why do you think he makes up excuses to hang out with you more and to be closer to you? Why do you think he is so touchy with you?”

As she asked him all those questions, it all started clicking in place for Will. He wasn’t sure why or how, but Mike liked him. He looked back at all the times that they were together, and Robin’s words suddenly made sense. 

“He likes me,” he said out loud with a lovesick smile on his face. “He actually likes me.”

Robin nodded and nugged his arm. “He does,” she said in a sing song voice. “Now what do you think about that?”

Will seemed to think this before asking, “But why would he like me? I’m nothing special. Never have been and never will be. I’m just Will Byers, the weird boy of Hawkins. It doesn’t make sense.”

Robin looked at him, her smile dropping. She put her hand against his cheek and made him look her in the eye. She looked serious, unlike a few seconds ago. She breathed in and told her what she thought about this whole situation. 

“Listen to me, Byers. Mike likes you because you are a great person and because you have a good heart. He likes you because you guys have always been there for each other. He likes you because he thinks that you are the best—”

“The best thing that happened to him,” Will finished. “I’m the best thing that happened to him.”

Robin nodded and messed up his hair a bit. “That you are. So don’t ever put yourself down again because there are people out there like him that love you precisely for those reasons and more. You are so worth it. Remember that.”

Will felt his eyes water again, and Robin chuckled slightly as a few tears slid down his cheeks. 

“Let’s get you home, Byers.”


	3. Mike and Will + more

Will Byers was hanging out with Mike Wheeler two weeks before the move. It was only the two of, messing around in Mike’s basement on that chilly September night. It felt good when they did. Those accidental bumps and the lingering touches Mike gave him made Will feel giddy. Will couldn’t help but notice every time the taller boy did so, always thinking of Robin’s words. 

Will noticed the way Mike would study him all up when he thought he wasn’t looking. He loved watching those shy smiles Mike would give him whenever he made a comment about something he liked. It was wonderful seeing Mike’s ears heat up when he leaned in closer. It all felt great. 

The two of them sat of the floor together, reading a comic book Dustin had gifted Will years ago, but the boy never had time to view it. Will suggested that they read it, and Mike agreed with a soft smile adorning his features.

As the two sat next to the other, Mike’s hand slightly on top of Will’s, the voice of Karen Wheeler interrupted them. 

“Boys!” she called. 

Mike let out a huff and yelled, “What, mom?”

“Joyce is here to pick Will up, so you better hurry and finish whatever it is you two are doing.”

Will looked over at Mike and saw the boy looking dejected. Mike seemed to notice his staring because his face turned back to normal. “Alright!”

Will got up from his spot on the floor and stretched. He moved over to grab his sweater from the chair he had left it on and put it on. As he did, he heard some shuffling behind him, and he guessed that Mike was going to accompany him to the front door. He sure wasn’t expecting what he got. 

Instead of Mike appearing in front of him and telling him to move, the taller boy wrapped his arms around Will’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest. Will felt as Mike put his face on the crook of his neck and buried it in it. His heartbeat increased as Mike did so, and he was suddenly aware that he was blushing. 

“Stay the night,” Mike murmured quietly, and Will barely registered it. 

He stayed silent for a moment, fearing that his voice would crack when he spoke. Mike seemed to take this the wrong way, because suddenly, the pair of arms wrapped around his waist were taken back, and his face was longer on the crook of Will’s neck. Instead, he was looking anywhere but Will, apologizing profusely. 

Will stopped his rambling when he said, “I’ll ask if I can.”

Mike looked up hesitantly and gave a nod when he saw that Will didn’t look grossed out. He thought of what Steve had told him for days, so he was glad to notice the blush on Will’s face, telling himself he might have a chance. 

“Alright.”

With that, Will went up the stairs and to the front door were he stood facing his mother. Joyce looked at him with a warm smile. She looked tired, and he guessed that she hadn’t gotten much sleep. 

“Are you ready to go?” she asked him, and he swallowed. 

He forced himself to look her in the eye. “Actually, mom,” he said. She raised and eyebrow, and he continued. “Can I stay over here for the night? Mike and I want to finish designing a campaign he came up with.”

Joyce looked a bit taken aback by his statement and immediately looked over at Karen, who was looking at them a bit amused. “Is that alright with you, Karen?”

Karen gave her a special Wheeler smile and nodded. “Of course he can! He’s always welcomed to stay the night.”

With Karen’s permission given, Joyce relaxed a bit. “Well, in that case, than you can. Just remember to be home by nine and call before you get there.”

Will have her a grin and went to hug her. She engulfed him quickly and tightly. The boy looked at his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, mom. And I will, don’t worry.”

Joyce gave her son another tight squeeze and let him go, kissing his forehead and leaving quickly after saying her goodbyes. Will turned over and saw Karen looking at him with a knowing look on her face. 

He headed over to the basement once he knew her car was gone. He took in a deep breath and released it, trying to maintain a calm composure. He finally stopped and stood in the staircase, looking over at Mike. 

Mike looked nervous, and Will had never seen him like that. He was pacing around the small space, mumbling something over and over again. He ran a hand through his hair and stopped when he saw Will standing there. 

Both boys looked at each other in the eye. Will fought the urge to blush but failed, so he let it show. Mike simply stood there, studying Will like he normally did. Neither of them said anything as Will approached Mike and stood in front of him. 

As Mike kept staring at him, Will said teasingly, “Is there something on my face?”

He saw as Mike swallowed and slowly brought one of his hands up to Will’s cheek. Will, without thinking, leaned into his touch and closed his eyes. This was the moment Will had imagined for so long, the one he had longed for. 

He stayed like that and heard Mike whisper, “You’re beautiful.”

He opened his eyes a bit as he said that only to close them again when he felt Mike’s lip on top of his. Those soft lips that he had been dreaming of kissing pulled away after moment, but Will pulled him closer and kissed back. He smiled as Mike did the same. He felt euphoric. 

They kissed sloppily as it was only Will’s first kiss, but Mike pulled away and had a soft smile on his lips. He said nothing as he closed the gap once more and began kissing him again, so slowly and sweetly that Will melted into it. Will had his arm around Mike’s neck and Mike around Will’s waist. It felt so natural. 

They pulled away again, and Will let out a small giggle as Mike kissed his temple. The taller boy put his chin on top of Will’s head and played with his hair. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” Will heard Mike say. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Mike said quietly. “For years, actually. I always felt so attracted to you, and that scared me. I was so scared that they would look at me differently, and I hated it. I hated myself for it. And I tried to avoid these feelings I had for you by dating El, but they only got stronger after our fight. After that, I couldn’t ignore them.”

Will moved away from Mike, causing the other boy to panic a bit. He calmed him down by taking his hand and intertwined their fingers. “Then why did you say that? It hurt, Mike. It hurt more than it should have.”

Will saw Mike get tense. “I’m so sorry, Will. I know I shouldn’t have said that, and it wasn’t my intention to hurt you. Please forgive me.”

“I forgave you long ago,” Will said with a small smile. “I’m willing to try a relationship, but don’t expect me to simply do anything you want. There are boundaries because at the moment, I’m not comfortable with everything.”

“That’s understandable. Don’t worry, I won’t make the same mistake I did with my relationship with El.” Mike’s voice cracked slightly at the end, and he smiled lovingly at Will who returned it with a grin. 

“Good.” Will got on his tip toes and gave Mike a quick peck. “Because I’ve loved you for so long, but I was scared to tell you. You’re important to me, Mike.”

“You’re important to me, too. I love you so much.” 

***

Mike saw the smirk that formed on Will’s face as he walked away, and he stood in the middle of the room with a dumb smile on his face. Will saying that joining another Party wouldn’t be possible gave Mike the reassurance that he wasn’t going to forget them. 

He walked away to see if Joyce needed help with moving boxes and to stop hearing Lucas and Max tease Dustin about the “NeverEnding Story” fiasco. He looked around and saw Eleven struggling to reach her teddy bear by trying to utilize her powers. Ultimately, she failed and couldn’t get it. 

“They’ll come back,” he said as he entered the room. “I know they will. ”

He walked over to her and got the item that she had been struggling to obtain. He handed it to her, and she grabbed it, smiling slightly. 

“Thanks,” she said while hugging the bear. 

“You packed your walkie, right?”

“Yes.”

“Because you know that I'm gonna steal Cerebro from Dustin and call you so much, you're gonna have to turn it off, right?”

They both chuckled at his statement and looked at each other. After three months, he was glad that they had moved on. Their relationship was better like this. 

“Did you talk to your mom? About Thanksgiving?” she asked him after a brief silence. 

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said. “I got the okay. I’ll be there.” After a moment, he said to her, “And then I was thinking maybe you could come up here for Christmas. And Will, too. You can come before or after Christmas, or whatever Mrs. Byers wants, but I was thinking Christmas Day could be super fun, because we'd all have cool new presents to play with and—”

He cut himself before he could continue speaking. The thought of them hanging out on Christmas Day like old times and not have to worry had been something he had looked forward to for a while. “Uh... Sorry, that made me sound like a seven year-old.”

“I like presents, too,” she said quite awkwardly. 

“Yeah, cool. Yeah. I like— I like presents, too.”

It was awkward after his declaration, and Mike wished he could leave. He wasn’t going to do it because he noticed the look on Eleven’s face and realized she had to tell him something. 

“Cool,” she said and walked towards the door, leaving Mike behind and a bit confused. He heard her footsteps stop, and she said, “Mike?”

He turned around to look at her. “Yeah?”

She fiddle with her shirt for a bit before looking at him. “Remember that day at the cabin... You were talking to Max?”

Mike did remember. He remembered his desperate attempt to convince everyone plus himself that the reason he was acting so weird was because he loved her and not because he was simply worried for her wellbeing, as the others should have been. He remembered the argument that he and Max had and how Nancy had told him off. He remembered everything about that night. 

“Um I don't think I follow,” he blatantly lied. 

“You talked about your— your feelings, your heart,” she said, taking her time. 

“Oh. Oh, yeah, that. Man, that was so long ago. Um... That was really heat of the moment stuff, and we were arguing and I don't really remember. What did I say, exactly?”

He wished that the conversation could end. He had a feeling were this was leading to. He had thought that she was over him as it had been three months, and she was the one who had broken up with him. He still remembered her getting in front of him and telling him, “I dump your ass.” 

“Mike,” she said and started walking towards him. She put her hand on his cheek. “I love you, too,” she told him quietly before kissing him. 

He stood stiff as she did so. He didn’t kiss her back nor did he close his eyes. He just watched her kiss him while trying to wrap his head around as to why she would still have feelings for him. He had acted like a total asshole and disrespected her, so why?

She pulled away and left the room for real, a smile plastered on her face. He watched her go before touching his lip and wiping it with his hand. It felt so wrong when she did that, and he needed to tell Will.

He got out of the room and went to the living room only to see Dustin kneeling in front of the donation box, looking through it. He got closer to him and touched his shoulder, causing Dustin to jump up a bit. He looked back and released a breath. 

“Jesus, Mike,” Dustin said, punching Mike’s arm slightly as the other boy crouched down besides him. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Mike laughed and rolled his eyes. “Seriously? That’s what almost gave you a heart attack?”

Dustin nodded. “Yeah!” He looked around for a moment before whispering to Mike, “How’s your relationship with Will going?”

Mike’s eyes widened, and he stammered for moment. In the end he stopped and took in a deep breath. “There’s nothing going on between me and Will.”

“I’m not blind, dude,” Dustin told him. “I see the way you two look at each other. Both of you have heart eyes. And no, I’m not exaggerating.”

Mike gave in. “Fine! Yeah, he and I are dating. Just don’t tell the rest of The Party. Will and I are trying to keep it a secret.”

Dustin snorted. “If that's the case than you guys are certainly not doing a good job because Lucas and Nancy found out.”

Mike groaned and burried his face in his hands. 

***

The time everyone had dreaded was finally here. The Byers were finally moving out of Hawkins, leaving this life behind. They were going to start a new life with people who didn’t know about the experiences they had. A fresh start was exactly what they needed. Still, leaving Hawkins behind was painful for them. 

They were all saying their goodbyes to the Byers and Eleven. Max, Lucas, and Dustin were saying their goodbyes to her while Mike was approaching Will just after saying goodbye to Joyce and thanking her for everything. He snaked an arm around Will’s waist and pulled him close, ignoring the looks that they were being given. 

Mike put his face in the crook on Will’s neck just like he had that September night. Will hugged back and put his head against Mike’s chest. 

“El kissed me today,” Mike told him. “She confessed that she still loved me.”

“I know.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

Will nodded slightly. “I heard the conversation and guessed that was what happened. Didn’t surprise me.”

The two boys pulled apart when Jonathan called out, “We need to go now!”

“Alright!”

Mike stood in front of him, a teary eyed. Will had a few tears rolling down his cheeks, but Mike wiped them away. He gave him a smile, and the smaller boy bit his lip. 

“I love you,” Mike told him. “More than you could ever know.”

“I love you, too,” Will told him with a grin. 

“Mike! Are you done?” Nancy asked him, and said boy looked back to look at his sister. 

“Wait a minute.”

Will chuckled a bit as Mike said that and looked at him lovingly. He wished he didn’t have to move just so he could spend more time with Mike, his boyfriend. The thought of that made him so happy. 

As Mike looked back at him, Will moved his hand to cup Mike’s cheek. The taller boy blushed as Will leaned in and gave him kiss which he returned immediately. Behind them, Dustin and Lucas were cheering. 

They pulled away and hugged. As they parted, Will looked at Mike straight in the eye. “Crazy together, right?”

Mike nodded and gave him one final kiss. “Right.”

They parted ways, and Mike watched as the moving truck pulled away. He stood in front of the old Byers household. 

“It was about time, man,” Lucas told him as he got on his bike. “Dustin and I had to see your pinning for years.”

Mike rolled his eyes at Lucas statement and saw Max slap his arm. 

“I thought you would be moping without El, but turns out it was the other way around,” Max said as she watched Lucas ride off with Dustin. “I’m happy for you two. I just wish that El got over you. You and Will have a different dynamic from you and her, and it’s a good dynamic.”

“Yeah...” Mike said and looked at her. She raised an eyebrow when he did. “I’m sorry for yelling at you that night. I wasn’t thinking straight, and I just took out my anger on you.”

Max smiled slightly and dropped her skateboard on the road. “Apology accepted, Wheeler. See ya!”

With that, the redhead skated away, and he was left alone with Nancy. He looked back at the house and closed his eyes. He felt Nancy shaking his shoulder, and he looked at her. 

“Let’s go,” she said, and he nodded. They drove off in silence before she spoke up, startling him. “I always knew you liked Will. I’m glad you two got together.”

Mike let out a chuckle. “Thanks for not acting weird about it. And for not hating me.”

“I could never hate you, Mike. You’re my little brother, and as much as you annoy the fuck out of me, I still love you.”

The Wheelers laughed and continued their ride in silence. Mike was so thankful everything had gone right.

“You know how it is,” Nancy said as they approached their home. “Us Wheelers always end up falling for the Byers.”


End file.
